This invention relates in general to products for absorbing body exudate, of the kind which are retained in place by adhesive adherent to a garment. More specifically, the invention relates to such products designed to absorb vaginal discharges and to be worn by adhering to the crotch portion of an undergarment such as a panty or girdle.
The art is now replete with various suggestions for adhesively-attached sanitary napkins. Such products generally consist of an absorbent element which is optimally enclosed in a cover or cover material and provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive element for adhering the product to the undergarment of the user. Generally, the adhesive element is provided with a removable, protective strip to protect the adhesive element prior to use. Recent emphasis has been placed on reducing the thickness of such products so that they can be comfortably worn, yet still serve their absorbent function, at least during times of light discharge such as at the beginning or end of a menstrual period, in conjunction with a catamenial tampon or even intermenstrually. Examples of such thin, adhesively-attached products are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,023,570 and 4,023,571.
Unfortunately, the trend toward such thin, adhesively-attached products has resulted in some concomitant drawbacks. The thinness has resulted in depriving the product of resistance to twisting, folding or crushing when being applied or in use. Accordingly, when the protective strip overlying the adhesive element is removed from the pressure-sensitive adhesive, unless the user is extremely careful, it is possible that different sections of the pressure-sensitive adhesive will adhere to one another, oftentimes causing permanent creasing or wrinkling of the product and occasionally rendering the product unusable. This problem is aggravated by the fact that the exposed, pressure-sensitive adhesive must be readily adhereable to the garment of the wearer so that, of necessity, the pressure-sensitive adhesive must be aggressively tacky. As a result, when different sections of the pressure-sensitive adhesive stick to one another, they are extremely difficult to pull apart.
In addition to the problem associated with applying such products, the thin, adhesive products exhibit a similar problem in use. When worn, these extremely flexible products tend to twist or "rope" together under the action of body movements and particularly by virtue of thigh movements so that the area presented against the body is substantially reduced and hence the protection afforded is lessened.
The above-described problems have, to a degree, been addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,580, issued on Oct. 21, 1975 to J. A. Ginocchio. As described in this patent, the adhesively-attached product is of the type having an impervious outer cover adhered to an absorbent body. The portion of the cover underlying the pressure-sensitive adhesive element is stiffened by application of a band of adhesive which also serves, together with other applied adhesive, to affix the impervious cover to the absorbent body. While such a solution works well in the relatively thick product having the specific construction described in this patent, it is, unfortunately, a less effective solution when applied to the thinner products of the various constructions considered herein. Accordingly, there is a need, in a thin, absorbent, adhesive product for means for increasing its resistance to certain kinds of deformation. Such means should be provided without effecting the primary function of the product, namely to absorb body fluids.